In Massachusetts, as in many other states, you have the opportunity to document specific wishes regarding your healthcare decisions. You may choose to appoint someone else as your healthcare agent in Massachusetts. This helps you to take control of your health care decisions in the event that you are unable to make these decisions for yourself.
Choosing the Right Healthcare Agent
When thinking about whom to appoint as a healthcare agent, you must think about:
- What kinds of things would you want your healthcare agent to know about your preferences for the kind of care you do or don’t want?
- Which person do you trust to follow through on your wishes?
- Does this person feel comfortable deciding to serve as your agent if and when that becomes necessary?
- Have you documented your healthcare agent decision in things like your estate plan?
Why Healthcare Planning Matters
Most young and generally healthy people assume they don’t need some kind of healthcare planning in the future, but skipping this could be a big mistake. At any point, you could suffer from serious injuries or an illness that leaves you unable to speak for yourself. With some advanced work put into your estate plan, you can address these concerns in advance.
Ideally, you’ll never need to enact these planning tools, but it’s very important to think through the “what ifs” of life by documenting this in advance to make things easier for you and your loved ones.
The Importance of Working with an Estate Planning Attorney
Working with a qualified estate planning attorney in Massachusetts is a great way to discuss healthcare considerations including end of life care planning if and when that becomes necessary.
